


The Cowboy and the Dragon

by TheKrystalSakura



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dragonoid!Hanzo, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, M/M, Slow Build, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7363903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKrystalSakura/pseuds/TheKrystalSakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Beauty and the Beast AU)</p><p>Ten years ago, Hanzo Shimada was cast out of the Shimada clan for attacking and nearly killing his brother. He has not been seen since. Now, Genji Shimada must enlist the help of professional tracker Jesse McCree to help him find his missing brother. What they find deep in the forest may not be what it seems...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hired Hand in Hanamura Forest

Twenty-year-old Genji Shimada walked into the local bar, clearly a bit out of place. After all, it was only his Shimada heritage that allowed him entry into the establishment, thanks to a hefty bribe to the bouncer just outside. He scans the bustling room for the face of the man he hired, wringing his hands in anxiety. If the elders found out what he was doing, well... It would not end well for anyone.

However, the hired man noticed the young man's presence and set down the mug of beer he'd been drinking, instead lighting a cigar as he approached Genji. "You the Shimada kid?" he asked, his voice gruff with a southern United States accent. His skin was a warm mocha color, and his eyes were that of dark chocolate. His messy hair was hidden underneath his cowboy hat, and a sarape was draped around his arms. Speaking of his arms, the left one appeared to be robotic... Genji swallowed the nerve to ask, instead standing straighter in an attempt to make himself look taller and older than he truly was.

"Yes, that's me. You must be Jesse McCree, then."

Jesse nodded, holding out his bionic hand. "That'd be me. Now, what do you say we sit down and talk about this little project of yours?"

"Of course." The two men sat down at an empty corner booth after Jesse grabbed his drink from the counter. Genji took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"I ain't gonna bite ya, kid. Just lemme know whatcha need."

Genji sighed, seeming to relax ever so slightly. "So, my sis-" he cringed, seeming to mentally slap himself- "My brother has been missing for almost ten years, now. My family cast him out after an accident, and I haven't seen him since. I want to find him... Hopefully alive." He cleared his throat. "Of course, in exchange for helping to locate my brother, you will be compensated well."

Jesse nodded, seemingly understanding. "I see. And do ya have any idea where your brother might be?"

The younger of the two reached into the satchel draped over his shoulder and pulled out a few detailed documents, written in very neat English. "I snuck into my grand-uncle's room two nights ago and found these. They say something about the forest surrounding the mountains near Hanamura, my home town. That might be a good place to begin the search, _hai_?"

Once again, the hired hand nodded in understanding. " _Hai_. That would be a likely place to look. Shall we begin the search tonight?"

"I don't see why not. There isn't anything truly dangerous in the area; just a few horror stories from before the Meiji Restoration."

"Good. Then we start tonight."

 

 

 

Later that same night, the two men headed out into the Hanamura forest, armed with flashlights, Genji's katana, and Jesse's revolver. As they wandered through the thick brush, an owl's mysterious coo could be heard.

"This place sure is creepier than I thought it'd be..." Genji whispered, aiming his flashlight around the area.

"That is a statement I can get behind, pardner."

Within a few more paces, a rustling from the nearby bushes sounded. The green-haired adult jumped, pointing his flashlight at the bush, only to let out  sigh of relief as a small brown rabbit skittered across the old dirt road. "It's just a bunny... Just an  _usagi_. In some creepy-ass woods... Yeah."

Immediately after the rabbit jumped back into the brush on the other side of the road, however, a louder rustling caused the bush to shake violently. A silver fox's head poked out of the foliage, turning to face the humans once they were noticed. It let out a low snarl at them before disappearing back into the bushes.

"Um... You know whatcha said about them ol' legends?" Jesse remarked, looking to the younger of the two of them, who was pale with fright.

"Yeah, I know, I was wrong. We need to leave. Right now. Immediately." Genji grabbed the hunter's arm and dragged him into a run, only to be stopped by the roots of a _juhyo_ , which wrapped tightly around their ankles. Luckily, Jesse always carried a jackknife with him as well; he took out the blade and stabbed the tree monster's roots, causing it to cry out in agony.

"RUN!"

Genji tried his best to escape the roots, but failed miserably. At his entrapment, his eyes widened and his breathing quickened; he was on the verge of a panic attack, and he screamed out a loud, "Fuck!"

An eerie silence suddenly passed over the roaring forest. The two men looked around, only to see the same silver fox as before staring at them with piercing blue eyes. It bore seven tails from its backside. The  _kitsune_ let out a loud, unnatural howl, and the noise returned at a murmur. It jumped down from the boulder and approached the  _juhyo's_ roots, causing the monster to retract the long, sturdy branches. Two ghostly figures appeared behind Jesse and Genji, causing shivers to run down their spines as the eerie presence cooled the midnight air further. The  _kitsune_ wandered between the two humans, and the spirits urged them to follow. Hesitantly, they did.

Genji murmured a quiet prayer, still not quite recovered from his panic attack. "I'm sorry, McCree..."

Jesse looked to the young adult, a concerned frown on his face. "Don't worry, kid. We'll make it out of here... Somehow..."


	2. The Dragon Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escorted to mysterious castle, Genji and Jesse realize exactly what has happened in this forest.

The five of them continued down the old dirt path, the humans shivering due to the cold that the specters were giving off. The question of  _"What's going to happen to us?"_ ran through their heads during the whole journey. Eventually, a large castle appeared in the distance. It seemed to be almost an old-English-style palace, with several tall watchtowers surrounding the large living space.

"The hell...? A castle?" Jesse murmured, staring in disbelief.

"Oh, no..." Genji whispered. He had heard of the castle's legend; that a great dragon lord lived there, and that he killed any human that dared to trespass. As they approached the castle walls, the double-doors swung open; the loud creaking sound alerted several creatures, it seemed, as loud murmurs could be heard from the courtyard as dozens of creatures awoke. They walked up the large stone steps, their footsteps practically nonexistent. A loud roar could be heard from deep within the castle, and the footsteps of what could only be the dragon lord echoed through the great hall. Genji began to tremble, the fear he felt showing clearly on his face. “We’re going to die..."

A dragonoid figure appeared at the top of the stairs. It seemed to be about the size of a human, despite its current state of walking on all-fours, and it lacked wings or a tail. Its scaly blue skin reflected the combination of the chandelier above their heads and the moonlight streaming through the castle's grand windows, casting a royal blue hue from the reptilian skin. The dragonoid had medium-length black hair that was tied back into a small ponytail, and a short beard framed its humanoid face. Two elaborate tattoos shown from underneath its kimono and _hakama_.

The kitsune escort stepped forward, bursting into a puff of clouds. As soon as the mist dissipated, a tall woman in a long white kimono took its place. Seven fox tails sprouted from her backside, the appendages flicking back and forth for a moment. She bowed to the dragon lord, and spoke with a soft and almost elegant tone.

“Hanzo, we found these humans wandering through the forest. I felt it imperative to bring them to you.”

The half-dragon snarled at the two humans as he stood onto his hind legs. His amber-eyed glare was fixed on the two of them, and the specters disappeared. “Why are you here?” he asked, his voice very much that of a human male with a snake-like hiss, “What do you seek?”

Genji began shaking even more. This was his brother…? He knew for a fact that when they were younger, Hanzo hadn’t looked like the spawn of the legendary dragon and a mortal woman… There had to be a reason for his current appearance.

Jesse, however, stepped forward slightly. “We were actually seeking you, Hanzo-san,” he said, bowing respectfully to the castle’s owner as he tried to thin out his accent. “I was hired by your younger brother here to help find you.” With that, he motioned to the green-haired Shimada.

Genji took a step forward as well, his knees still quivering beneath him. “H-Hanzo… Nii-san, it’s me, Genji.”

Hanzo stared at them, a look of utter confusion on his face as the spirits of the castle once again began murmuring. The kitsune woman stepped forward and whispered something into his ear, causing the half-dragon to finally stir.

“Yes… You’re right. Take them inside, to the guarded parts of the palace. I will speak to them both later… In private,” Hanzo directed, wandering off and leaving the two humans with the kitsune.

The fox-woman turned and nodded for them to follow, and the two men did so hesitantly. They were led to a prison-like room; however, the plus side was that there were two cots in the stone room, and a stream of moonlight shone down through the barred window. Genji walked into the cell and sat on one of the beds, still shaking as he sighed. Jesse followed and sat on his own bed, the door closing behind him.

“He doesn’t recognize me,” Genji mumbled, tears filling his eyes.

“Hey, at least he didn’t attack ya. He probably coulda mauled us,” Jesse replied.

“Yeah… I… I wonder what happened to him…”

The room was silent for a moment before Jesse once again replied. “Ya said the elders of yer clan outcast ‘im, right? Since they knew of the legends… Maybe he’s like this because of them.”

Genji’s eyes widened. “Oh, fuck…” He covered his mouth and stared wide-eyed at the ground. “My… Our father wouldn’t have allowed that… O-Our mother wouldn’t have…”

“Yeah, and my parents wouldn’t’ve let mah sister date her jackass boyfriend, but they still did. What yer parents won’t allow isn’t always what ya think.”

The younger of the two humans sniffled and brought his hands up to his eyes, wiping away the stray tears. The elder of the two, however, sighed and held an arm out to the side.

“I don’t always do this, but c’mere.”

Without hesitation, the twenty-year-old walked over and curled up next to Jesse. _He’s barely an adult,_ Jesse thought, _he’s gotta be scared and upset._ He gently rubbed Genji’s back as he cried, sufficiently wetting his right shoulder. After a while, the prison door opened. They both looked up and instantly tensed when the castle’s lord stepped into the room.

Hanzo quietly shut the old wooden door and sat on the floor just to the side of it, sizing the two humans up for a moment before murmuring out a questioning, “Who are you?”

Jesse was the first to speak up. “My name’s Jesse McCree. I’ve come searching for you on behalf of yer brother, Genji Shimada.” He motioned to Genji, who looked Hanzo dead in his bright amber eyes.

“Hanzo, I’m so sorry… I-”

The dragonoid, however, cut him off. “You were ten. You were hurt by my own hands. What would you have done?”

Genji clenched his teeth, trying not to cry again, as he answered. “I don’t know, but I certainly wouldn’t have done _this!_ ” He motioned to the prison walls and to his half-dragon brother.

Hanzo huffed, a tiny swirl of smoke rising from his nostrils. “So you say. What would you have done to stop them, then? There was nothing you, a ten year old boy, would have been able to say. Nothing our mother said changed my fate.”

It was Jesse’s turn to interrupt. “If I may interject, Hanzo-san?”

Hanzo turned his attention to the tracker, his eyes narrowed at him. He did not respond verbally.

Jesse continued. “I don’t know what happened to ya, but I’d like to help ya any way I can. I doubt ya’d want your little brother to get hurt, and I can easily become his bodyguard. So, as long as we’re here, I’ll protect him. Deal?”

“… Are you doubting my abilities to protect my brother in my own home?” Hanzo snarled, shoulders tensing.

“Not at all, Hanzo-san. However, I do believe that even though you’re their leader, housing your brother here’ll put ya at risk, too. Which is why I’d also like to be your guard and medic.”

Hanzo glared at him for a short while, eyes narrowed. “… Fine.” He stood and turned a softer gaze to his brother. “Genji, I apologize if it feels like you are imprisoned here, but until I can ensure your safe returns, I cannot allow you to leave. Yui, the kitsune that brought you here, and I will escort you around the palace should you wish to leave the room.”

“Yes, Nii-san.”

Before Hanzo could turn to leave, Jesse once again broke the silence. “Hanzo-san, mind if I do a quick exam? I’m not a doctor, but I wanna check ya for any unhealed wounds, if that’s alright.”

“No. I do not want you touching me,” Hanzo snarled.

The tracker nodded. “Understood.”

The dragon lord seemed vaguely taken aback by the statement, but didn’t reply as he stood. He pulled a small hand mirror out of his kimono and handed it to his green-haired brother. “Use this to communicate with Yui or myself should you need anything. Now… Are you hungry?”

“Um… I am, but… Are you, McCree-san?”

“Nah, I’m fine. You go on ahead.”

The dragon lord once again stared at Jesse, this time with an assessing stare, as if he could tell that something wasn’t right. “… I would actually prefer that you come along. It is easier to keep the both of you safe that way.”

“I’m fine here, Hanzo-san. I have my revolver, and I won’t shoot unless mah life’s in danger.”

“Most creatures are impervious to bullets, McCree-san.”

“… I’ll be fine. Really.”

Hanzo gave the tracker a stern look and growled out, “Come with us and eat.”

Jesse stood without a second thought, his hands at his sides in a seemingly casual stance. “Yessir, Hanzo-san.”

With that, the trio left the prison-like room and headed for the dining hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than the last one, so I hope you all enjoyed! I should be updating again soon.


End file.
